On October 3, 2024, Google Doodle honours Iboshi Hokuto, a well-known Ainu poet and social activist. He wrote many tanka (31-syllable poems) and haiku to change how people saw the Indigenous Ainu community in Hokkaido, Japan.
On this day in 1927, one of his tanka was published in the Otaru Shimbun, a major Japanese newspaper.
About Iboshi Hokuto
Hokuto was born in Yoichi, Hokkaido, in 1901. He went to Jinjō Elementary School, unlike most Ainu children. But at school, he often faced discrimination. Despite this, he grew a deep pride in his Ainu culture.
He joined several youth groups and later started his own group called Chawashō Gakkai (茶話学会), which held meetings and published a bulletin to raise awareness about Ainu issues. He also attended poetry events and shared his work in a poetry magazine.
In 1925, Hokuto moved to Tokyo. There, he joined academic groups and gave speeches at the Tokyo Ainu Conference. But after a year and a half, he returned to his hometown, feeling his efforts were more needed there. Back in Yoichi, Hokuto wrote poetry, worked at a kindergarten in Biratori, and published the literary magazine Kotan.
His big break came when a newspaper published one of his tanka. After that, his poetry was regularly featured in the Otaru Shimbun. His writing often touched on his struggles with tuberculosis and his pride in his Ainu heritage.
Today, Iboshi Hokuto is remembered as one of the “three great Ainu poets.” A monument with his poetry stands outside the Yoichi Fisheries Museum. Thank you, Iboshi Hokuto, for your lasting contributions to Ainu culture and your beautiful poetry!
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